The invention relates to wall panels that include oriented strand boards.
It is known that significant structural integrity may be achieved by attaching a piece of thin rigid board (e.g., plywood) on each side of a foam board (e.g., polystyrene) in a sandwich form. While the individual materials may possess little, if any, load bearing strength, the panel formed by laminating them together may provide greater load bearing strength than conventional wood or metal framing.
Known building panels based on this theory include a polystyrene or polyurethane core and oriented strand board or light gauge metal skins. Panels having metal skins are used primarily in commercial and industrial construction to enclose buildings such as warehouses, manufacturing facilities, offices and retail structures. The panels with oriented strand board skins, which also are known as structural insulated panels, are used primarily to form exterior walls and roofs of residential dwellings. In addition, curtain panels for office and other buildings have been produced using foam board attached over lightweight metal framing and covered with layers of synthetic stucco and fabric mesh, or panels pre-cast from concrete and having marble or other decorative stone attached to their surfaces.
In one general aspect, a wall panel includes an outer skin surface layer, an oriented strand board, and mounting channels. The outer surface layer includes an outer surface, an inner surface, and edges. The oriented strand board layer includes an outer surface, an inner surface, and edges, with the outer surface of the oriented strand board layer attached to the inner surface of the outer surface layer. The mounting channels are defined along and between the edges of the outer surface layer and the oriented strand board layer, and define a region recessed from the edges of the outer surface layer and the oriented strand board layer.
Embodiments of the wall panel may include one or more of the following features. For example, the outer surface layer may include an outer gel coat layer and an inner skin layer, and the outer gel coat layer may include a gel coat material, such as a white gel coat material. The gel coat material may further comprise a dye. The outer gel coat layer may include a textured outer surface, such as a marble texture, a stone texture, a brick texture, and/or a wood texture.
The inner skin layer may include glass fiber and resin. The glass fiber may be provided in a range of between approximately 2.0 and 5.0 ounces of glass fiber per square foot and the resin may be provided in a range of between approximately 6.0 and 14.0 ounces of resin per square foot.
The outer layer may further include a reinforcing layer adjacent to the oriented strand board layer. The reinforcing layer may include glass fibers and resin. The reinforcing layer also may include at least one reinforcing rib. The reinforcing layer may be generally L-shaped, and include a length section and a width section. A length of the oriented strand board layer may be adjacent to the length section of the reinforcing layer and a width of the oriented strand board layer may be adjacent to the width section of the reinforcing layer.
The wall panel may further include a second skin layer, which is adjacent to the oriented strand board layer. The second skin layer may include glass fiber and resin, and may be textured similarly to the gel coat layer. The mounting channel may be generally C-shaped, and may be made of metal.
In another general aspect, a method of making a wall panel includes providing a mold, dispensing a gel coat material into the mold to form a gel coat layer, dispensing glass fiber and resin above the gel coat layer to form an inner skin layer that is attached to the gel coat layer, attaching mounting channels around and to a periphery of the gel coat layer and inner skin layer, attaching a reinforcing layer to the wall panel in a position above the inner skin layer and between the mounting channels, and attaching an oriented stand board layer to the reinforcing layer.
Embodiments of the method of making a wall panel may include one or more of the following features. For example, the method may include heating the gel coat layer prior to dispensing the glass fiber and resin.
The method may also include placing a heated cover over the mold, applying heat and a vacuum to the mold to cure the materials in the mold, and removing the heated cover when the materials are cured. The method also may include dispensing glass fiber and resin above the oriented strand board layer to form a second skin layer.
In another general aspect, a method of constructing a wall includes securing a horizontal mount to a floor, providing a wall panel, and mounting the wall panel to the horizontal mount. The horizontal mount has a cross-section that corresponds in shape to a mounting channel recessed in the wall panel. The wall panel includes a gel coat layer, an outer skin layer, a reinforcing layer, a layer of oriented strand board, and the mounting channel.
Embodiments of the method of making a wall panel may include one or more of the following features. For example, the wall panel may further include a second skin layer that is adjacent to the oriented strand board layer. Mounting the wall panel to the horizontal mount may further include applying a fusion monomer to fix the wall panel to the horizontal mount. The method may further include mounting an upper mounting channel of the wall panel to a second mount, which is attached to a vertical column. The method may further include mounting a second wall panel to the second mount.
Advantages of the wall panels include reduced construction time and construction costs because the panels are complete with finished texture and color. Textures such as those resembling marble, brick, wood, or slate may be provided at costs that are substantially less than costs associated with actually using those materials. The panels also have improved durability because the composite materials are impervious to essentially all environmental conditions, as well as superior energy efficiency resulting from the oriented strand board inner insulative layer.